HC refuses to extend deadline for vacating govt bungalows

Dehradun: Uttarakhand High Court today refused to give any more time to former chief ministers of the state to vacate the government bungalows occupied by them in the city, saying they will have to do so by December 16, the deadline set by the state government.

A division bench of the high Court comprising chief justice KM Joseph and Justice U C Dhyani categorically refused to extend the deadline of December 16 set by the state government for evacuation of the bungalows occupied by the former CMs, the petitioner’s counsel Kartikey Hari Gupta told a news agency.

Former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna had appealed to the High Court to give him six months’ time to vacate the bungalow allotted to him.

The court asked all chief ministers to strictly adhere to the state government’s order in this regard, Gupta said.

The high Court also asked the state government to recover rent from the ex CMs for occupying the bungalows with retrospective effect.

It has also asked the state government to calculate how much money the former Cms will have to pay as rent and submit its calculations to the court by November 21.